Programs And Podcasts

Bob was one senior who was a tremendous blessing to our ministry. He’d been the kind of volunteer who had been there for every kind of project you could imagine. His whole life—it seems like he’s been a warrior for the Lord. But then, he had some illnesses and an accident that slowed him down—even to the point of walking with a cane and honestly looking a little more stooped than usual. We asked him if he could help oversee this important remodeling project at our Headquarters. Before we could finish the tour of the area that needed work, Bob was spouting out ideas about how it could be done. Later I actually saw Bob in the hallway—walking tall, walking fast, without his cane, like a man half his age!

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Healing Power of Making a Difference.”

A new spark, a new spring in his step–what made this almost overnight difference in our friend? At least in part, I think it was the prospect of making a difference again! He was re-energized by having a mission. You know what? That might be just what the doctor—I mean, The Doctor—ordered for someone who’s listening right now.

In Proverbs 11:24-25, our word for today from the Word of God, the Bible spells out this healing power of making a difference for other people. Here’s what it says. “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

When you’re all focused on yourself, your world is small, your hurts are big, you’re claustrophobic, you’re sometimes bitter and self-pitying. But when you’re focused on people who need you, on things you can do to make a difference, it’s literally life-giving. Jesus described this strange but ever-true equation: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it” (Luke 9:24).

Hold onto your life, you lose it. Give your life away, you find it. I’ve seen that proven true from teenagers to people way up in years. We all need a mission. It begins by looking around your world and asking this great question, “Who needs me around here? Who can I help with what I know? Who can I help with what I’ve been through?” Often we’re looking for someone to help us instead of someone to help. We’re focused on who could meet our needs instead of whose needs we could help meet. And we’re miserable. Nobody wants to come to our pity parties, and life looks ugly because we keep looking through a dirty window, and that window is called “It’s all about me.”

Maybe it’s time for you to think more about “giving your life away”—about a mission you could become involved in. You might have some very real limitations, some hurts, some handicaps. But there is someone you can help with what you know; whether it’s in person, or letters, or emails, or texts, or with the phone. At least you can tell them about your Jesus and help them be in heaven with you.

A young man once wrote to Mother Teresa, and he was asking how he could have the kind of significance with his life that she was experiencing as she ministered to dying people in Calcutta’s worst slums. She wrote back just a four-word reply: “Find your own Calcutta.” That’s the answer. Find a place where you are needed, where you can pour yourself into someone other than yourself, into something bigger than yourself. And, when you do, prepare to experience the awesome healing power of making a difference!

Looking at Matthew's Gospel, Dr. Michael Youssef will examine the "birth pains" of chapter 24, the evidence for potentially apocalyptic events, the antichrist's deception, four dimensions of the coming judgment, living in the hope and security of Christ's return, and more. Learn why we are living in the most interesting of times and why the End is just the Beginning.

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John was exiled on Patmos, but he was not abandoned. The Holy Spirit strengthened him to behold Jesus Christ—risen, glorified, and reigning over history.

In this urgent message, Dr. Youssef warns that believers must not allow pressure, fear, or false teaching to weaken their devotion to Christ. Scripture is the inerrant Word of God, and every Gospel that denies Jesus as the only Savior and Lord must be rejected.

The glorified Christ rules His Church, sees every compromise, and will judge sin in righteousness. As the world moves deeper into deception, God’s people must remain faithful.

This episode calls believers to:

• Repent of compromise and divided loyalty,
• Reject false and watered-down gospels,
• Stand firmly on Biblical Truth,
• Intercede for their children and the Church,
• Remain watchful as judgment approaches,
• Hold fast to Jesus Christ without fear.

The world may reject Christ, but He still reigns. His Word will stand, and His faithful people must not surrender.

Scripture Focus: Revelation 1:10; Revelation 3:17-19; John 14:6

If today’s teaching stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

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What if the companies in your portfolio are working against the values you’re trying to live by?

For Christians, investing is about more than pursuing financial returns. Like every other financial decision, investing can be viewed through the lens of stewardship—asking not only, “How is my money growing?” but also, “What is my money supporting?”

Faith-based investing seeks to bring those questions together.

Brian Mumbert, president of Timothy Plan, joined the show today to explain how faith-based investing works, what research suggests about performance, and how Christians can begin aligning their portfolios with biblical values.

Faith-based investing shares many objectives with conventional investing: building a diversified portfolio designed for long-term growth while managing risk appropriately.

The difference is that it adds another consideration—a values-based screen.

For Timothy Plan, that means avoiding companies that profit from or promote activities the fund family believes conflict with biblical principles. Examples may include abortion, pornography, gambling, and businesses that profit from activities that can exploit addiction or vulnerable people.

At the same time, faith-based investors can seek companies producing goods and services that contribute positively to society.

Importantly, biblical screening does not replace traditional investment analysis. Financial fundamentals still matter.

“The screening comes before the portfolio construction,” Mumbert explained.

The goal is to combine disciplined financial analysis with biblical convictions so investors can pursue competitive returns without unnecessarily separating their financial decisions from their faith.

One common concern about faith-based investing is that eliminating certain companies or industries will automatically lead to lower returns.

According to Mumbert, research does not support the idea that values-based investing necessarily requires investors to accept a persistent performance penalty. He points to independent studies examining faith-based and values-aligned investment strategies, some of which have found comparable performance and, in certain cases, favorable risk-adjusted results.

Screening can also remove companies facing significant social, reputational, or regulatory risks.

Of course, no screening methodology guarantees better investment results, and past performance never guarantees future returns. Faith-based investors still need to evaluate expenses, diversification, risk, time horizon, and the quality of the underlying investment strategy.

The larger point is that investors do not necessarily have to choose between financial discipline and biblical alignment.

Knowing what a company truly supports can be more complicated than simply looking at its primary business.

A company may appear acceptable based on the products it sells while supporting other activities through corporate policies, charitable contributions, partnerships, or business practices.

That makes research an important part of faith-based investing.

Timothy Plan has developed a proprietary screening process over more than three decades. Its research examines both what companies profit from and what they promote at the corporate level.

The process also relies on third-party information, and companies are reviewed periodically because corporate practices can change.

That ongoing evaluation is important. A company that meets a particular screen today may change its policies, business lines, or priorities

You pray. Read your Bible. Show up at church. And God still seems … crickets. When God feels far away, does that mean your faith is broken—or that you are? Brant Hansen, author of Blessed Are the Misfits, gets candid about skepticism, emotional wiring, and our all-too-human pressure to manufacture spiritual experiences. What holds your faith together when your feelings have approximately nothing useful to report?

Show Notes and Resources

• Connect with Brant on Instagram.

• Connect with Brant on Facebook.
• Learn more about Brant on his website.
• Listen to Brant and Sherri’s podcast, The Brant and Sherri Oddcast.
• Get Brant’s book, Blessed Are the Misfits.

• Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
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As believers who want to share our faith, sometimes it would seem we’re attempting to deliver a message that many people just don’t want to hear. They think they don’t NEED to hear it. The truth is, everyone needs the hope of Jesus Christ. Today, on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie reminds us that God built us with a hunger for God. People may try to feed that hunger with the things of this world, but sooner or later they’ll come to realize their hunger is for something more.

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Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

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